Text link exchange
A link exchange is the linking of two web pages to each other that a normal, text-based HTML - Hyperlink use. The websites involved are referred to as link partners. Text link exchange as an SEO measure is part of link building .
aims
The aim of exchanging text links is to draw new streams of visitors from the linked page to the linked page. In addition, the method is used for search engine optimization in the context of link building . The link is then used to improve the placement of the linked website in the search results. This results from the way search engines work . These search Internet pages for links in order to determine the number of incoming links to a certain page, but at the same time to compare the link texts with the content of the target page. This principle of link popularity aims to evaluate the importance of a page in a specific context (search query).
A link exchange to improve the search results contradicts i. d. Usually the guidelines of the search engine operator.
species
There are several forms of link exchange.
Reciprocal link exchange
The easiest type to use is reciprocal link exchange: In this case, two websites are linked directly to one another.
Non-reciprocal link exchange
With non-reciprocal link exchange, more than two websites are involved - in the simplest case three. In this case, a person either operates several web projects under different domains or has so-called link exchange projects. These projects are only used to set links to other websites in order to receive backlinks from the partner to his main project.
Another possibility is to create a link exchange network with several link partners, for example person A can link to C, link partner C links to B and B to A.
The aim of the three-way links is to make the link exchange more difficult to recognize for search engine operators. The more different link partners work together in a network, the more difficult it becomes for search engines to track down these networks.
development
While the search engines initially only counted the number of incoming links, the search engines' procedures have been continuously refined due to the rapidly developing spam . In addition to the evaluation of the link texts, the link type also plays a role today. Search engines often distinguish reciprocal links from non-reciprocal links, which makes it difficult to exchange links.
File sharing and article directories
To simplify the text link exchange there are file sharing platforms. These can be divided into manually managed and automated systems as well as commercial and non-commercial. Participants run the risk of being classified negatively by search engines, since the operator of a search engine could theoretically act as a link exchange partner himself. However, in addition to buying links, link exchange is currently still used as an effective means of search engine optimization.
For a while, article directories were also used to generate links, where links are exchanged for content. However, the search engines no longer rate such links very highly.
Link exchange programs
A link exchange program is software that supports the exchange of text links for website operators or search engine optimizers. The focus is on the management of links and link partners, as well as the acquisition of new partners. Link exchange programs mostly violate the guidelines of search engine operators.
Others
According to a resolution by the German Patent and Trademark Office, the term link partner cannot be protected as a trademark, as it is generally descriptive.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Google Search Console Help: Link Exchange Programs. Google, accessed January 24, 2018 .